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Finished: 4-Ply Silk and Brocade Paneled Top

Posted: September 11th, 2013 I
By: Mood

The genesis for my latest Mood Fabrics top was an article I saw on Style.com in July about how this shade of caramel was so hot. I immediately ran upstairs to the silk department at Mood NYC, searching through bolt after bolt until I found this lovely 4-ply silk in the perfect shade. (Have you ever worn or sewn 4-ply silk? It’s a winner on both fronts, and so addictive you’ll be drooling for an entire wardrobe of 4-ply tops and pants.)

Originally I thought I’d make just a basic collared silk shirt, but then my mind wandered…and I ended up pairing this gray patterned brocade with it. (See, this is what happens when you work in a fabric store like Mood. You can’t just be happy with one scoop any more, it has to be banana splits all the time.) I think they work well together here in this top; what do you think?

Fabrics used:Caramel silk: I can’t swear this online 4-ply silk crepe is exactly the same color as my silk, but it’s close.Gray and copper brocade: How cool! We have the exact cotton-blend French brocade I found in the NYC store online at MoodFabrics.com. I love when that happens!
For a pattern I used Vogue 8786, which is actually a dress pattern but I never let things like that stop me. I made a muslin first, and I’m glad I did because the shoulders were huge on me despite the fact that I have broad shoulders. I eliminated the center-back seam for the lower bodice but kept it for the neckline area. Truth be told, the neckline is wide enough that most people can omit the zipper and back seam completely and just pop this top over their heads. I instead chose to set off the zipper area with two bands of the brocade.
I self-lined the upper bodice so I wouldn’t have to use an ugly facing. Seams were finished by pressing open, then stitching and pinking the seam allowances (hand overcasting the armscye seam).

Sorry for all the wrinkles showing in the photos above. I wore this top to work on Tuesday when I took these photos, and I couldn’t find Mood’s steamer for a quick de-wrinkling before my photo shoot. But you can see that one of the nice things about 4-ply is that it really doesn’t wrinkle that much. (And it feels like heaven to wear!)

When I wore this top, I paired it with my black ankle pants and high-heeled leather sandals that are the same shade as the silk. Plus a big gold necklace. It also works well with jeans.

Next up: A silk “sweatshirt” using this Milly top as inspiration. Whatcha making?!

4 Responses to “
Finished: 4-Ply Silk and Brocade Paneled Top ”

Karen Mulkey

Love, love this top! It’s so on trend while being classy. Enjoyed meeting you at Mood in May. Travelling to LA early October and plan to check out the mood store there. Big thanks to you for Mood Sewing Network which highlights favorite bloggers.

560 days ago |

Meg at Mood

Thanks, Karen! Nice meeting you too! —Meg

560 days ago |

Cissie

What a beautiful top! Love your fabric choices! And yes, you are so right about 4-ply silk. Positively addictive!